


i know what it looks like (from the outside)

by spookyfoot



Series: caught a glimpse of your reflection [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Humor, M/M, Mistaken Identity, Misunderstandings, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-06-23 16:28:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15610338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spookyfoot/pseuds/spookyfoot
Summary: Lance is still smarting over everyone’s disinterest in Keith’s determination to become a homewrecking harlot when he heads to the company gym that evening—and immediately finds Keith. And Shiro. Sparring on the gross, sweaty mats by the far wall. Completely alone.Keith’s on one side of the mats, leaning against the the wall and pushing his hair back with one hand; Shiro stands, frozen, his back facing Lance. “You’re gonna have to be faster than that to pin me,” Keith taunts. Except—it’s not a taunt, it’s an invitation.And Lance takes it as one, too. “So you think you’re good enough to be beat me then.”Keith just looks at him from under his bangs and says “yes.” Then he turns to grab his water bottle like he doesn’t think Lance can hold his own. Which, excuse him, Lance has a yellow belt.





	i know what it looks like (from the outside)

**Author's Note:**

> title from the incomparable carly rae jepsen's "boy problems"

Lance skids into Hunk and Pidge’s shared office and pauses, before posing against the desk in a lean that looks casual and purposeful all at once. He knows. He’s practiced.

“Hunk did we start some sort of after school program and no one told me?”

Hunk squints. “Noooooo,” Hunk says, stretching the word between his teeth like taffy, “are you trying to hint at something? Because you’re not good at it.” He pauses, shuffles some papers on his desk. “You know, I think I’ve got a pamphlet somewhere for a company sponsored workshop on subtlety...”

Lance rolls his eyes. “Hilarious. Someone should put a brick wall behind you.”

“I try.”

“Anyways, back to me. Some delinquent just took over Rolo’s old desk and I wanted to know if he was allowed to be here before I told him to scram.”

Pidge looks up from her desk and snorts, “Delin—oh you mean Keith? He’s our new engineer.”

“Engineer? _Really_? Is he even old enough to work here?”

Pidge raises an eyebrow. “Lance, you still get asked if you want the kid’s menu when we go out for group dinners.”

Lance chooses to ignore her comment. He’ll let Pidge have this one—he’s generous like that. That’s not his biggest concern anyways. As a person who appreciates beautiful things (himself included), and the son of parents who’ve spent the last forty years happily married, Lance is Concerned (™).

“Anyways, he kept... _looking_ at Shiro while Shiro was talking to him.”

“Hmm, yeah, that’s generally what you do when you’re having a conversation with someone,” Hunk says, losing interest. 

Lance frowns, “No, no, no, not like ‘hi we’re talking and I’m listening to what you’re saying,’ but like ‘you could crush me with your biceps and I’d say thank you.’”

Pidge just shrugs, leans back in her chair and kicks her feet up on her desk. Lance can almost see the cigar poking out of the corner of her mouth, and the fedora brim pulled low over her eyes. In another life, she’d have made an excellent mob boss—though he wouldn’t put it past her to be running a bustling crime empire in her spare time. He’s learned the hard way that underestimating Pidge is the same as attaching a lightning rod to your back and running out into an electrical storm. “If it bothers Shiro he’ll say something.”

“Shiro’s literally the nicest person on the planet. One time I saw him apologize to Ezor after she spilled coffee on him.”

“I mean, I heard it was pretty good coffee,” Hunk says. Because that’s clearly the most important part of the story.

“Right. Because that’s the important part of this story,” Lance says folding his arms over his chest.

“What story,” Matt says, leaning in the doorway, one eyebrow already raised.

 _He definitely practiced that, the fine art of subtlety is lost on him_ , Lance thinks.

“Whatever the deal is with our new eighties bad boy casting reject.”

“Oh, you mean Keith?”

Lance shoots a triumphant look at Pidge. “See, even your brother gets it,” he says before turning to Matt. “Have you noticed how Keith looks at Shiro?”

“Well I mean—”

Pidge is suddenly right by his side, “Hey Matt, a word,” she says, linking her arm with his and pulling him out into the hallways.

 _Sibling stuff_ , Lance thinks.

//

“Matt. Do _not_ say anything about Keith to Lance. Don’t ruin this for me.”

“Wait, he doesn’t know?”

“Nope. Definitely not.”

“Incredible. So you think he’ll—”

“100%.”

“Then there’s only one option: we’ll just...let this play out.”

“An early birthday present?”

“Sort of. But really, this is a present for both of us.”

"When you're right, you're right." 

//

It’s clear that Shiro trusts Lance to handle whatever...weirdness is going on with Keith when he moves Keith from Rolo’s former desk to Plaxum’s—right across from Lance. Lance has a way with people, and if there’s anyone that’s going to make Scowly McMullet reveal the heart of gold that (maybe) lies underneath his prickly exterior, it’s Lance.

So far, all that having Keith as his deskmate has revealed, is that Keith’s eternally pre-occupied with Shiro’s assets—(“Valid,” said Hunk, when Lance mentioned it to him over lunch,)—and that he’s managed to bewitch the definitely-one-hundred-percent-haunted copier within his first two days on the job.

(The last time Lance had tried to use it, his photocopies had printed like dried blood smears. Even though he had his printer settings permanently set to black and white.)

He’s also managed to bewitch half of the engineering department with the way he’s able to pull apart and put back together engine prototypes in record time. Show off.

Heart full of apparently misplaced and tragically unappreciated benevolence, Lance had told Pidge to ask Keith to join them for lunch, since Pidge and Matt are the only people in the office that Keith talks to by choice—other than Shiro.

Keith had looked at them, face flat aside from a barely noticeable flush dusting the tops of his cheeks. “I already have plans.”

As if summoned, Shiro appears, curling a large hand around Keith’s shoulder; Keith’s blush goes from “mild summer day” to “what the fuck my air conditioning is broken and only a walk in freezer can save me now.”

“Ready for lunch?” Shiro asks, smiling down at Keith, who’s looking at him like he’s a literal and metaphorical snack.

 _Someone needs to stop this before it gets worse_ , Lance thinks. He looks around at his office mates who seem entirely unconcerned. Well. Not all heroes wear capes.

//

“Lance I have a doctor’s appointment, I need to leave,” Hunk says eyeing the door. “So whatever this ‘important meeting’ is about, just tell us.”

“Yeah, and I’ve got...nothing to do but it’s better than being here,” Matt adds.

Lance pouts. It’s a little unfair that none of them are taking his intervention for their lack of intervention seriously. He brought a vegetable platter. With dip.

“ _Fine_. If you’re going to ignore all the heard work I put in…”

“We are,” Pidge says. “You couldn’t have done this earlier?”

No he could not. He had to wait until Shiro and Keith both left. Together. “Look someone needs to talk to Shiro about letting people down gently.”

Pidge just smiles, smug as anything and says, “Well, if anyone’s an expert in being let down, it’s you.”

“Oh, well thank—HEY.”

Pidge rolls her eyes, “I’m not wrong though. Besides, Shiro can take care of himself.”

“ _Can he_?”

“Yes.”

“That was rhetorical.”

Pidge just laughs and takes the veggie platter with her on her way out.

//

It gets worse.

Over the next few days, Shiro spends more time out of his office than in it. No one needs to make that many photocopies. Especially when you’re just as likely to get a curse as you are a replica of whatever you put into the machine—Haggar’s parting gift to the office.

Not-so-coincidentally, the photocopier happens to be close to Keith’s desk.

 _Desperate times and desperate thirst call for desperate measures_ , Lance thinks as he approaches his desk. Shiro might as well invest in a second chair and a good divorce lawyer with the amount of time that he’s been spending plastered to Keith’s side. Still, Lance is a good friend. Probably the best friend Shiro will ever have—he’s not letting Keith ruin this. If Keith has to leave to go home and change his shirt, well. It’s for the greater good. No, more importantly, it’s for Shiro’s happiness.

“Hey Keith,” Lance says, deliberately tripping over the doorstop he’d planted in his path for this occasion.

“Wh—” is all that Keith manages before getting hit with a splash of water. All down the front of his white shirt. Which is now see through.

Lance can see the moment Shiro’s brain goes offline. He may have miscalculated.

“Great,” Keith says, pulling up the hem of his shirt and stripping it off. Right there in the middle of the office.

“I—I have an extra shirt in my office,” Shiro says. But he looks excessively reluctant about it. 

“Thanks,” Keith says. Lance catches a flash of gold against Keith’s chest before he turns to following Shiro.

Scratch that, Lance definitely miscalculated. He may need more help with this.

//

Except—except even after that disgusting display no one takes Lance’s concerns seriously. Matt holds in a laugh as he tells him “No, Shiro and his husband are fine, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Well then you’re officially demoted to Shiro’s second best friend because his actual best friend would be trying to help save his marriage. You know, like I am.”

“I think his marriage will be just fine,” Matt says.

“Well, your friendship with Shiro is now null and void. It’s expired girl scout cookies. It’s the Chinese food someone left too long in the office fridge. It's Meghan Trainor's second album. So, I’m officially promoting myself to Shiro’s best friend.”

“Okay. Sure, Lance. Good luck with that,” says Matt.

Lance is still smarting over everyone’s disinterest in Keith’s determination to become a homewrecking harlot when he heads to the company gym that evening—and immediately finds Keith. And Shiro. Sparring on the gross, sweaty mats by the far wall. Completely alone.

Keith’s on one side of the mats, leaning against the the wall and pushing his hair back with one hand; Shiro stands, frozen, his back facing Lance. “You’re gonna have to be faster than that to pin me,” Keith taunts. Except—it’s not a taunt, it’s an invitation.

And Lance takes it as one, too. “So you think you’re good enough to be beat me then.”

Keith just looks at him from under his bangs and says “yes.” Then he turns to grab his water bottle like he doesn’t think Lance can hold his own. Which, excuse him, Lance has a yellow belt.

Keith’s total disregard is honestly insulting and Lance isn’t going to take that lying down— or standing up.

“Okay. Bring it.”

“Lance you really—” Shiro starts.

“No, let’s see what he’s got.”

(As it turns out what he’s got is a severely bruised tailbone and an even more severely bruised ego.)

“I tried to warn you,” Keith says, eyebrow arched, insufferably pleased.

//

“He’s small! He could fit through the fence surrounding the office! He shouldn’t have been able to lay me flat on my ass like that.”

Pidge looks at him over the top of her glasses, “What, like it’s hard?”

//

“I’m not sure why you needed a prop, to be honest. Everyone in this office believes in you and your ability to trip over nothing,” Coran says, patting Lance on the back before handing him some more ice. He doesn’t want to admit it, but he’s still feeling the purple bruises smudged all over his back from where Keith suplexed him into the mat.

From the break room, Lance can see Shiro’s car pull into the parking lot; he can also see Keith getting out from the passenger side.

“Oh hell no,” Lance says.

“What?”

“That,” Lance says, pointing out the window, where Shiro’s laughing at something Keith said. "That should  _not_ be happening." 

“Do you have something against carpooling to help save the environment?”

“I have something against carpooling when I’m trying to save a marriage!” Lance yells, springing to his feet and spilling ice all over the floor.

“Lance this is a safety hazard! You need to come back and clean this up!” Coran yells at his retreating back.

But, mentally, Lance is already halfway to the parking lot.

(Physically he’s only gotten to the elevator when Shiro and Keith arrive just as he’s frantically pressing the down arrow button because obviously that will make the elevator carriage arrive faster. It’s science.)

“Morning, Lance,” Shiro says, offering Lance an easy going smile.

“Get away from him you harlot! He has a husband,” Lance spits at Keith, jamming a finger into the center of his chest.

“I—what? Lance what’s going on?” Shiro asks, looking between the two of them. There’s a crowd gathering at the entrance to their office suite; Lance can see Pidge and Matt amongst the familiar face, more amused than upset which, well, they’ve been no help so he shouldn’t be surprised.

“I can’t keep watching this _tramp_ try to break up your marriage,” Lance says to Shiro before rounding on Keith. “That’s right, he has a husband, or were you conveniently ignoring his ring?”

“I wasn’t ignoring anything, I know Shiro’s married—” Keith says, looking more confused than upset.

“Well then what do you have to say for yourself, homewrecker?”

“Lance, this is all just a misunder—”

“No, I want to hear what he has to say for himself,” Lance hisses, folding his arms over his chest.

“—like I was trying to say, I know Shiro’s married.” Keith says, pulling out a chain from under his shirt. A chain with a ring on it. “I don’t like wearing my ring at work—it always gets greasy,” Keith continues, slipping the chain over his head, before pulling the ring off the necklace and slipping it on to his finger. Lance’s eyes widen.

“ _Keith’s_ your husband?”

“Yes? I thought everyone knew? Or that Pidge and Matt filled everyone in by now. Maybe I should have sent out an email...I just don’t trust anyone in this office to use reply instead of reply all. Not after the Furby incident,” Shiro says, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Lance can see Pidge and Matt ducking back into the office, making themselves scarce.

He’s going to kill them.

...He just has to find them first.

**Author's Note:**

> the doc for this was called "we're married u idiot". thanks for reading!
> 
> \+ come talk to me on [ tumblr](http://spookyfoot.tumblr.com) and [ twitter](http://twitter.com/spooky_foot)


End file.
